Malvern East, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Malvern East is an established, leafy suburb in Melbourne's south-east, within the City of Stonnington and about thirteen kilometres from the central business district. It is best known as the home of the Chadstone Shopping Centre, one of the largest retail complexes in the southern hemisphere, which sits on the suburb's eastern edge near Warrigal Road. Away from the shops, Malvern East is a quiet residential area threaded with popular open spaces, among them Central Park, the Urban Forest Reserve and the heritage-protected Hedgeley Dene Gardens, a gentle landscaped valley followed by a winding ornamental creek. The suburb is also home to the Buddhist Society of Victoria, founded in the nineteen-fifties and regarded as the oldest such institution in the state. Several railway stations on the Glen Waverley line, along with tram routes, link the area to the city.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Malvern East is more socio-economically advantaged than about 98% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1128, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Malvern East at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 22,296
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $2,383
- SEIFA score
- 1128
- Coordinates
- -37.8782, 145.0693
Malvern East demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Malvern East using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 27%, 31% of homes are rented, and 31% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,548 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 3,219 | 14% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 6,083 | 27% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 5,622 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,818 | 17% |
Share of the 22,290 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,964 | 36% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,603 | 31% |
| Rented | 2,574 | 31% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4,432 | 53% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,960 | 24% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,787 | 21% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 8,322 occupied private dwellings in Malvern East.
- Median weekly rent
- $421
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,944
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,288
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,060
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 6,608 (31%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 5,667 (26%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 65 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 14,425 (81%)
- Labour-force participation
- 67.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.1%
- Employed full-time
- 7,158
- Employed part-time
- 4,097
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Malvern East
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Malvern East is January (average daytime high around 25.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 13.2°C). The area receives roughly 800 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.9°C | 15.5°C | 60 mm |
| Feb | 24.9°C | 15°C | 40 mm |
| Mar | 23.4°C | 14.2°C | 51 mm |
| Apr | 19.9°C | 11.6°C | 68 mm |
| May | 16.3°C | 9.6°C | 70 mm |
| Jun | 13.8°C | 7.5°C | 68 mm |
| Jul | 13.2°C | 7.1°C | 59 mm |
| Aug | 13.8°C | 7.3°C | 76 mm |
| Sep | 16.4°C | 8.4°C | 70 mm |
| Oct | 19.3°C | 9.8°C | 84 mm |
| Nov | 21.1°C | 11.7°C | 86 mm |
| Dec | 23.7°C | 13.4°C | 68 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Malvern East
Where is Malvern East?
Malvern East is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Malvern East?
At the 2021 Census, Malvern East had a population of about 22,296.
Is Malvern East an advantaged area?
Malvern East has an ABS SEIFA score of 1128, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 98 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 98% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Malvern East?
Malvern East has average daytime highs of about 19.3°C and overnight lows of about 10.9°C, with roughly 800 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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